


Truths and Half-Truths

by pretentiouskneecap



Category: RWBY
Genre: Day 7: AU/Free Day, Fair Game Week (RWBY), Fair Game Week 2020, M/M, contains content from ep12, soulmate!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:01:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23272888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pretentiouskneecap/pseuds/pretentiouskneecap
Summary: For the entirety of his adult life, Qrow had wanted to avoid any possibility of learning the identity of his soulmate, and so he learned not to lie.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 24
Kudos: 185





	Truths and Half-Truths

**Author's Note:**

> For Fair Game Week Day 7: AU/Free Day
> 
> Soulmate!AU where you can't lie to your soulmate.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

For the entirety of his adult life, Qrow had wanted to avoid any possibility of learning the identity of his soulmate, and so he learned not to lie.

Qrow had seen how the incapability could hurt people, how Raven had wielded it against Tai like a weapon as sharp as Omen when she left them. Summer and Tai were far more stable, but even then, that inability to lie drove them to Qrow as often as not. Fear was easier to confess when you had absolute control over how much you said. 

So Qrow learned to navigate the world in half-truths, never letting himself lie to anyone, even the most insignificant or impossible people. Better to avoid the habit of it and prevent any mistakes. With his risky, secretive lifestyle and his dangerous semblance, the addition of a soulmate had far too many uncertainties. He figured he owed whoever they were enough to not to put them through the risk of being bound to him.

And up until now, that plan had worked perfectly. He learned how to talk his way around a lie in a way that the sleaziest politician would envy. His plan was simple, and it was flawless.

Until the transport truck.

“You shouldn’t do that, you know.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I- I gave that up,” the words slipped out of him, almost involuntarily. Qrow winced internally for a moment at the sheepish sound of his voice before the thought caught up with him.

Almost involuntarily.

No. Qrow stared at Clover with wide eyes, stunned as the man followed up by chiding him for deflecting his compliment about the kids. In fact, Clover had been nothing but thoughtful and encouraging toward him ever since the moment they were released from those bolas.

Did he know? Was that why?

Qrow thought back to all their conversations, his mind racing as they stood to deal with the woman-sized blockade in front of them. He didn’t think Clover had said anything that had felt forced, that he might have not wanted to say and been compelled to anyway. Besides, Clover didn’t strike him as the type to lie often, and his thought was confirmed by the awkward way Clover hesitated around explaining their mission to Robyn.

Qrow started to calm down. The man was genuinely just trying to be helpful, that he was fairly certain of. And even though Qrow wasn’t the type to share, especially with someone he’d barely known for weeks, there was a kindness in Clover that made him easy enough to talk to. Perhaps Qrow hadn’t talked to another adult his age in too long.

Maybe he was being paranoid.

Knowing his luck, probably not. Qrow didn’t want to know either way. Even with Clover’s luck, he couldn’t risk it.

Avoiding Clover would be impossible with the way James paired them up for every assignment. Qrow would just have to be more careful from now on.

-

When Clover told him that he and team RWBY were under arrest, Qrow couldn’t help but wonder if he’d intended to. If part of him had wanted to keep it hidden but couldn’t.

Since that first conversation in the transport truck, Qrow had tried to keep a tight hold over everything he said around Clover, during missions or outside them. And yet, he found himself slipping. Agreeing that he wanted to go to dinner after their work was done, participating in sparring matches and developing fighting strategies, flirting back when he’d meant to shut it down.

Through it all, Qrow had felt a rising dread even as fondness for Clover threatened to break through his convictions. The only thing tethering him to sanity was that, as far as he could tell, Clover still hadn’t caught on. Qrow had hoped, back then, that he never would.

Now, in the back of a Manta headed for Atlas, a warrant out for his arrest and Harbinger interlocked with Kingfisher, Qrow faltered.

“I wish it hadn’t come to this,” Clover said, and the clear anguish in his eyes caused something to snap in his core.

Qrow changed his mind.

He backed away, bringing Harbinger down so suddenly that Clover was put off balance, pitching forward a bit before a small step forward steadied him. He glanced up at Qrow, confusion written across the crease along his brow.

“Clover,” Qrow said, calmly. “Try to lie to me.”

“What?” Clover asked, clearly thrown by the change in the conversation.

“Qrow, if you want to know if something is true or false, just ask me!” Robyn’s voice came from behind him, sharp with annoyance. He held out a hand to hold her back.

“Lie to me,” he repeated, holding Clover’s gaze. “Say anything you want, as long as it’s not true. Say your eyes are blue.” The confusion in Clover’s eyes gave away to the dawning of comprehension.

“My eyes are-” he cut off, unable to continue. Qrow’s heart squeezed painfully at his chest. He had known, but to have it confirmed at this moment, to see the heartbreak in Clover’s eyes as he brandished his weapon across from him, was more pain than Qrow wanted to acknowledge.

“Clover, look at me,” he said firmly, and watched as the other huntsmen’s- his soulmate’s- gaze focused on him again, ripped from whatever thoughts were running through his head. “You can trust me.”

It was the truth.

Clover swallowed. “I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
